Safe
by kaoscraze
Summary: The entire group is at risk and people are dropping over like flies. Rick and the others need to figure out the mystery before it's too late, but is anyone ever safe? ****WARNING- DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY CAUGHT UP WITH THE WALKING DEAD TV SHOW. CONTAINS SPOILERS***
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys!**

**So I have to admit…I was working on another TWD fanfic, but after this week's episode, I felt like I couldn't wait to get this off my chest. **again please don't read this if you haven't watched the show yet, I do not want to be blamed for anyone finding out things they don't want to know****

**This whole conspiracy with Carol, David, and Karen to me just doesn't sit right, and I'm sure it doesn't with you guys either. Most of the TWD community out there feels that there's a lot more to it, and this is just my interpretation of what I think could be the situation. It's probably going to be an ongoing thing as the show progresses, which isn't something I've ever done before, but I feel like if I don't write this all down I'm going to go insane by next week. I hope you're all enjoying the show, even with its crazy twists and turns…heck, that's why we love it right? I just hope you can all appreciate my spin on the situation and even if you don't agree with it, take it for what it is. I literally have NO idea what is going to happen on the show, but if I could write it my way, this is what it would look like. Remember to review with love**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill folks…I own nothing.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

Safe

It was hard to remember a more stressful week at the prison. The hoard of walkers attacking the fences had been an ongoing problem, but it was definitely getting worse by the minute. Then to top that off, they now had a potentially fatal virus on their hands, and an unknown arsonist roaming free among the group. Rick was already at his wit's end, and he'd barely put his holster back on.

He understood how Tyreese was feeling. He knew better than anyone the madness that set in when the woman you loved most in the world died suddenly of something that you couldn't control. He thought about Lori every day as he tried to get back to the man he had once been. He thought of her every time he looked at his children and pushed himself to be the father that she had always wanted him to be. Tyreese and Karen hadn't been together long, but they wanted to believe that it was possible to have a connection with someone in that way again. Now, their chance was gone.

In a way, Tyreese had it worse than he ever had. Not only had he lost the person he'd almost found happiness with, but now he was at great risk of losing his only family. When Sasha had come down with the virus, it had felt like the ultimate cosmic joke. Rick's heart clenched at the thought of the vibrant young woman being done in by something that no one should have blinked an eye at.

After everything they'd been through…it shouldn't have come down to this.

As much as Rick tried to convince himself that he needed to focus on finding the culprit who had torched Karen and David, he was more afraid of what he might find when he did. A potential killer within the group was just as big a threat as the virus that was claiming their lives by the hour. The underlying problem of who was a concern, but the bigger question in Rick's mind was the why. He had heard of people burning the bodies of the infected after death, but that was after a massive outbreak. This was just two people…had this person really thought that if they burned the bodies, it would keep everyone else from getting sick? Something wasn't adding up. There was more to it…he just couldn't see it clearly.

The fight had taken a lot out of him. He hadn't wanted to get in an altercation over something like this, but there was no going back on the situation. Daryl had done his best to back him up, but when Tyreese came at them, it was all Rick could do to deter him. In the end, he had just lost it. It wasn't something he was proud of, but when his head finally cleared, he felt a little better. Herschel had pointed out that he'd fallen off the wagon, but Rick wasn't even sure he could consider it a fall. It was more like a cliff dive. He'd managed to live a mild-mannered life for nearly six months without any problems, but within one day he was right back in the same place he'd been the second he found out his wife was dead. He may have managed to fool himself for all those months, but he hadn't fooled anyone else. He was still vulnerable.

The situation had thrown him off more than he wanted to admit. It seemed like it was either feast or famine these days, and that meant that he had to be prepared for anything. It also meant that he had to stop denying what he was at his core…a cop. He'd been happy to hide it under mounds of pig slop and rows of crops, but there was no time for that anymore. Being timid and cowering away from a challenge was about as unnatural to him as trying to breathe underwater. He couldn't escape it…it was something that was engrained in him and always would be. Right now, they needed him, and he couldn't look away from it any longer.

He had to act.

While the others were out scouting for medical supplies, he would have an opportunity to investigate the crime scene. The first step was to look at all possible evidence. Maybe they had left behind some clues as to who might have done this. Rick had to admit that looking for evidence in this manner wasn't something he was used to. He'd lived and worked in a very small town, and knew little to nothing about forensics work. He was hoping that maybe some of the tracking skills Daryl had taught him might work to be able to pick out things that he normally wouldn't have seen. It would have helped to have another perspective on what it could have been, but right now Daryl was busy trying to find a cure to the virus while he stood around hoping for a sign from God. He had to face it…he was on his own.

_Just walk through it. Follow the steps. You know how to do this._

Starting out in the first cell block where Karen had been, Rick marked it all out. It was a pretty decent haul to get the bodies out to the courtyard where the burning had taken place. There was a decent blood stain on the pillows making it look like they had been stabbed in the head before they were dragged out. Maybe they had already perished and were in danger of turning. Whoever had moved them had difficulties getting them out of the cells too. He followed the trail up to where it met with David's, noticing a very similar pattern. The trail seemed to have stop and start marks too, maybe from where the assailant had gotten caught up with the bodies before they could continue on towards the outside door.

Rick made his way out to the court yard, which had now been cleaned up. The two gas cans still sat idly on the side of the scene, which had surprised him. Why did someone need two gas cans for two bodies? There should have been more than enough room in one full can to handle both of them…so why were there two? As he bent down to inspect the ground by where they had been, a gnawing sensation began to form in his gut. Maybe he wasn't looking at just one person. Maybe it had been more than that. There were only a few people who'd had access to these sick individuals, but that didn't mean that another person couldn't have snuck in all the same. Whoever it was, they were also now at risk of getting sick themselves if they weren't already suffering from it. He looked around again before finally rising to head back inside when he finally found something.

On the side of the door was a partial handprint…in blood.

He put his own hand up to compare. It was smaller, which signaled that the person had to be someone smaller too…perhaps a woman or a young adult. The chances of it being Karen's were very slim, but if that was the case, he felt truly sickened by it. Could one of their own truly be so cruel as to burn someone alive? It seemed like something out of a horror movie.

There was no way to take a print off of the mark, and even if he could, there would be no point. With no police databases to look through, he would have to go by instinct alone. A guilty party would always make themselves out to be innocent for as long as they could. Knowing when someone was hiding something had always been one of his specialties. He could spot a liar a mile away, but it was a lot harder to do with people he knew well. It had almost been his downfall with Shane, but he couldn't let it get to that point again. He needed to start looking for subtleties…slight differences in behavior. Maybe then he could get to the bottom of this.

As he thought back to everyone's actions from earlier in the day, Rick came to another very strange conclusion. Everyone in the prison was acting out of character. Daryl had remained oddly calm during Tyreese's outburst in the courtyard, even for him. Herschel seemed to be getting more defiant in his quest to cure everyone, causing his family to worry. Even Carl was acting more grown up than ever despite his annoyance at having to go into quarantine. He hadn't been around most of the others in a few days, but he wouldn't be surprised if they were acting bizarre too. The upheaval in everybody's life was making them all act out in ways they wouldn't normally think to behave. His theories on being able to spot the liar had dried up. This was going to be harder than he'd expected.

He stood, running his fingers through his tousled hair in frustration. There were lives at stake, and he needed to figure this out quickly. Plus, the minute Tyreese got back, he would want answers. Rick had never been quick to ask for help, but right now he was batting a thousand.

He was gonna need a miracle…and fast.

**A/N: I will be back with more shortly…I'm going to have each chapter from a different person's POV for the most part, but don't ask me where it's going yet because I don't know. I'm pulling together all of my ideas and checking out all sorts of things from Tumblr (thanks Alli for getting me hooked lol) so I'll be checking up on that regularly to see what else pops up. **

**As for right now, it's off to write some more! LLACO!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys—**

**Thanks for the notes on what you guys think of the story. There's still so much we really can't figure out until we see more episodes, but I'm having fun driving myself crazy trying to think of every little scenario as to what the answer could really be. Just like in school, I overthink everything**

**This chapter is going to be strictly from Carol POV…that being said, I'm not going to have her come out and explain what she did because, well…I have no fracking clue what she did lol. I've been reading ridiculous amounts of Tumblrs (obviously) and people have a LOT of ideas on what they'd like to see happen, including having Daryl step in to protect Carol from Tyreese's wrath (I think we'd all like to see him be her knight in shining armor finally) but at this point, I'm thinking that Rick is going to be the one who stands up for her initially. Daryl's too wrapped up in finding medicine to save the sick people, and now he's literally trying to save himself and the others from being eaten alive by a hoard of walkers…I mean seriously, it looked like Comic Con when they panned back to all the zombies coming at them from the car! Then again, that's pretty much a typical day for Norman so I'm sure it didn't faze him one bit lol. Btw, did everyone see him on Conan the other night? ADORABLE! Okay I'll stop now and let you get back to reading:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead…I don't even think I own the obsessive ideas that come flying out of my head sometimes. **

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

Carol could barely wrap her head around what was happening around her. Everything had been a big blur over the last 48 hours. From the moment Patrick had died, a chain of events had been set off that could not be stopped. D block had been completely compromised within a matter of hours, and with it, half of the group.

She hadn't been far away when the first call for help rang out. Everyone took immediate action; the men taking down the walkers while the women tried to gather up all the kids they could find. At that point, no one knew exactly what had happened, but it was utter chaos. Rick, Daryl and Glenn had gotten as many people out as they could, but Carol took immediate notice of one who had been bitten on the arm. It was Ryan, Lizzie and Mika's dad. Without a thought in her head, she grabbed him and took him back to his room to perform the amputation, but quickly found out that it was too late. It broke her heart at the realization of what she would have to do, but Ryan had asked her to take care of the girls like they were her own. It was a promise she had made wholeheartedly, but had no idea how hard it would be to keep.

By the time the girls had come in to say goodbye, he was very close. When the moment came, she told them to step outside, but Lizzie had decided that she should be the one to do it. Carol was proud of her for being brave enough to step up and use her skills she'd been taught, but in the end it was too much for her. In one swift movement, Carol finished it and then comforted the two girls the best way she knew how.

By the time the council had met to discuss the situation, they had already lost close to a dozen people. Carol had been adamant about keeping the ones who had been exposed away from the others, and putting the sick in quarantine. Everyone had agreed it was for the best, even though moments later they were put to the test when Karen came walking by looking ill. She had seen the worry in her eyes as she realized just how serious the situation was, and Carol felt empathy for her. There was no telling who could get it next, but for those who had it now, it was most likely a death sentence. Her mind immediately went to Mika and Lizzie, who had also been exposed. She had already lost her daughter in a horrific incident…she didn't think she could handle it if these two innocent girls were taken from her as well. It was the reason she had been pushing so hard to teach them how to fight. If Sophia had gotten the chance to fight back, she might still be alive. It was her biggest regret in life.

Daryl had stopped to check on her in the hallway afterwards, his thoughts probably just as scattered as hers. She appreciated the fact that he was still concerned for her even after everything they'd gone through together. When she'd tried to return the favor, he had nodded simply, explaining that he had to get through it. In Daryl's mind, he didn't have a choice. There was a job to do and he was going to do it. Carol wished she could boil things down that simply in her own head. She envied him for it.

When she had gone out to talk to the girls, it hadn't gone as expected. She had told them straight out what they were facing if they didn't learn to protect themselves, but Lizzie had deflected her pain about her father onto a dead walker. Carol hadn't understood it at the time, but now it was starting to make a lot more sense. There was more to the situation than she had been able to see before. What she had been asking of the kids was too much. Even when she'd gone to Carl to plead with him not to tell Rick what she had done, in her heart she knew it was unfair to even request such a thing. Carl had been pulled back from the brink not so very long ago, and asking him to keep that kind of secret from his father wasn't fair.

Then again, life wasn't fair. This disease was utter proof of that.

They had thought that the worst was over. That the outbreak in D block had been contained and that the walkers had been disposed of. Then suddenly, things had gone from bad to worse. The virus was spreading, and now people she truly cared about were being compromised. Lizzie, Sasha, and Glenn were all battling to survive, and Daryl was out risking his life trying to find medicine to save them. Everything felt so out of control, and she had no way of stopping it. For the first time in a long time, Carol felt completely alone. It didn't even matter that she was surrounded by people on all sides. There were things she'd done that couldn't be undone now. Things she'd witnessed that her eyes could not un-witness.

The fight between Rick and Tyreese had been one of those things. What had happened to Karen and David had been horrible, but she had not been ready for the rage that had come out of it. Daryl had tried to diffuse the situation but had been unsuccessful. As soon as Rick took the first hit, she had begun to regret it all. Everything they had been working so hard to produce was being destroyed. By the time they were done beating each other to a pulp, she'd had enough. It was too much to take in.

_Keep your mind off it. Focus on what's important. _

That is exactly what she had been trying to do ever since. They needed to focus on the things they could fix, and not look back at the things they couldn't. The issue of water was becoming a problem, and she had tried to combat it by collecting as much as she could from the barrels, but it was a fruitless task. If Rick would just let her go down to unclog the line, it could be solved in a matter of minutes. As she toyed with the idea of disobeying his orders, she had come across another unexpected surprise.

Carol's heart had nearly jumped out of her chest as she turned to find Tyreese standing behind her, asking that she check in on Sasha while he went on the run to find medicine with Daryl and the others. His request wasn't that surprising, but what he had said just beforehand had all but done her in.

_**I know there's a lot of people in trouble. Sick. It's just…I know how you are. You care.**_

She had tried to play it off like she wasn't affected by what he said, but in truth it had gotten down into her core. The man standing in front of her had already lost so much, and was in danger of losing it all. She had been there herself, but it felt too raw now. If he only knew the truth of the situation, he wouldn't have been asking anything of her at all.

He would have loathed her.

Carol could feel her emotions rising to the surface as it all finally came bursting out. The anger and frustration took over as she knocked over the barrels; a mistake she would quickly regret as she realized that they had contained precious water after all. It was the proverbial icing on the cake. Now she had no choice but to disobey Rick's orders. She would do whatever it took to make this up to everyone, starting with this.

The trip to the hose line was easy enough with more than one person, but alone it had started to become tricky. With all the walkers lining up at the same spot on the gates, there was less of a chance to get out quickly before you got overrun. Even knowing this, Carol had made her mind up that she had to do it alone. As soon as Rick made his way back into the prison, she made her move. They had cut strategic holes in the fences to get through easier, so slipping out wouldn't be hard to do. All she had to do was get the line unclogged and slip back in without any notice from anyone…alive or otherwise. She got down to the edge of the dock just fine, but there was a large deposit of mud stuck in the hose that could only be dislodged by knocking it out. Of course, the noise had drawn some unwanted attention, but she could still do this. That was before Rick came back and noticed what she was up to. As soon as he called out to her, they began to descend. Now she was in trouble.

Finally getting the hose back together, she tossed it down in the water and made her way back. By now, she had attracted more than her fair share of attention, but Rick had her covered, and within seconds they were back inside the safety of the gate. Rick had tried to chastise her for her moves, but she wouldn't let him. For the first time in days, she knew she had made the right choice. It was probably what had tipped him off, because the next thing she knew, he was watching her every move. By the time he finally confronted her about it all, she was ready.

"It was a stupid thing you did…going out there like that."

She knew exactly what he was insinuating. He might not have been able to grasp the entire situation, but he knew that she'd played her part in it. She couldn't lie. "Guess it was."

"I know you do a lot for us…for the kids." He walked down towards her, his eyes never leaving hers. "You sacrifice a lot. Is there anything you wouldn't do for the people here?"

"No."

She had stated it plainly before walking away, hoping that he would leave it at that. She hadn't gotten two steps further before he'd stopped her again.

"Carol…did you kill Karen and David?"

It was the question she had been expecting, and yet dreading at the same time. She could try to reason it into the ground, but when it was all said and done, there was no point. All he wanted was an answer, and she gave him the only one that she could manage. The one she knew in her heart was true.

"Yes."

**A/N: For those of you who are wondering, I do not think that Carol is guilty of this crime in any way. I truly feel that she is covering for someone (or multiple someone's) and there's a lot more to come from the story line in that sense. That being said, I want to thank USS-Caryl, and especially Captain Janne for giving me permission to use her "evidence" from Tumblr in my story. I was absolutely fascinated by what she came up with as far as the breakdown of the crime scene. I have a few friends in criminal justice and man do they get some unique ideas on how things can go down in a bad situation! **

**I'm sure you will all be tuning in tonight to find out what happens, and I should have another chapter up in a few days once I have a better idea of where it's all headed. I want to get a Daryl chapter in here soon too but I'd prefer to do that once he gets back and finds out the news. That's when things will get really juicy! Stay tuned…LLACO!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: If you haven't watched the newest episode yet, then don't even bother reading this because I am about to go spoiler central on your asses…I can't keep it in anymore!**

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**I have three words to say about Sunday night's episode….HOLY F***ING SH*T!**

**My hat is off to the amazing acting skills of Andy Lincoln and Melissa McBride. The discussions they had were just mind-blowing, but I was heartbroken at the final decision in the last five minutes of the show. I had truly believed that Rick would stand by Carol and support her decision to do what she needed to do. I'm also very on the fence now about if Carol really did act alone…kudos to Melissa for making me rethink everything I've ever thought about how strong Carol is. She held NOTHING back last night, laying all of her cards on the table, and I just don't think that Rick knew what to do with it all. Chris Jericho on the Talking Dead seemed to think that Rick was done with her and had had enough, but part of me feels like Rick was trying to urge a confession out of her by doing what he did. He isn't heartless and I don't think he feels that Carol is completely gone either. He even saved her in that house when he didn't have to. Rick was much worse off than she was at one point and she stuck by him too. They've been through so much together, and for him to give up on her so quickly when the tables were turned seems really out of character for him.**

**Then again, everyone is acting out of character right now other than maybe Daryl. **

**I really loved Norman's stuff too with Bob. When that bag flew down and the walkers grabbed it, I was screaming sooo hard, but then when he found the booze and threatened Daryl with a gun, I almost died…Daryl has NEVER looked so virile as in that moment when he challenged him…I seriously started ovulating in that moment. Bob has a serious death wish but my GOD was it a hot scene! *fans self***

**I still do not understand why Tyreese is soooo mad about everything. He was so mild mannered and kind before, and now he's got the rage of 100 angry men on his shoulders and I don't understand it. I can see him feeling horrible about what happened and even getting seriously emotional about it, but this anger is just too far-fetched for me. He almost attacked Michonne for telling him he was going to get himself killed! I truly hope that the writers have a reason for doing all of the things they're doing right now because I just feel like some of it seems out of hand. Maybe they're trying to fool us into thinking one thing when it's something entirely different. Ugh…I'm having Lost flashbacks where in the end we find out they were all in limbo and none of it was real…very annoying. The actors are doing an AMAZING job of working with what they've got, but they also can't tell us what's coming up either. That has got to be the hardest thing about being on that show. I couldn't do it…ever.**

**Okay, I need to stop now. I'm sure you guys will let me know what you're thinking about it all as well, so have fun reading….I have no fracking clue where this is all going!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead, but if Kirkman and Gimple mess this up, I will find out where they live and give them a piece of my mind!**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

They had done it.

Daryl wasn't sure how they'd managed to pull it off, but they had gotten all the medicine they needed and were now on their way back to distribute it. The trip had worked out, but they'd gotten in and out by the skin of their teeth. It wasn't something he was hoping to have to do again anytime soon.

He had been happy to hear that Michonne had finally decided to stop wandering around the state looking for a man that was probably halfway to the west coast by now. They'd gotten close over the last few months, being out there together. It wasn't romantic or anything like that. He just got her and she got him. He'd tease her sometimes like Carol did, but he knew it was all in good fun.

Tyreese, on the other hand, was a force to be reckoned with. Daryl got why he was upset, but the anger seemed to come from out of nowhere. He had been like that…ready to fly off the handle about any little thing that came his way. Somewhere along the way he'd managed to gain some balance and maybe even some common sense, but Ty was almost as far gone in a day and a half as Rick had been. Watching him self-destruct was heartbreaking to witness. He may have lost Karen, but Daryl could only pray that Sasha was still hanging in there. If he lost her too, the man wouldn't come back from the edge.

Bob was an entirely different problem altogether. They'd talked about his situation and how things had been rough on him. He got that too. Bob reminded him a lot of Merle when he was sober. He'd never seen him drunk, but he could imagine all sorts of scenarios that could turn him into a monster. He'd witnessed it earlier on the roof when he found out just what was in Bob's bag. Daryl has lost it in that moment, but had managed to pull back. They had been right. He wasn't worth it. If he wasn't possibly the only one left who could deliver the drugs to the sick people, Daryl would've left him right then and there.

Through it all…getting trapped by the hoard of walkers, almost losing Ty, finding the car battery and getting the supplies…Daryl felt a sense of accomplishment. When he'd been stuck at the prison watching people drop like flies, it was hard because he knew he couldn't do anything about it. Now he had. Even if it only helped a few, it was better than losing everyone. He couldn't stand the thought of more people he cared about getting sick. It was a miracle he hadn't got it with getting so close to Patrick right before it hit. He just hoped that no one else had come down with it while they'd been gone.

It would probably be half a day's drive before they were back. Everyone was pretty quiet as they drove back, so it gave Daryl time to think a little bit more. He'd even found a piece of jasper on the trail that was pretty damn nice. He'd told one of the guys in A block he'd keep a look out for it, but the more he polished the stone, the more he was beginning to think that Carol might like it more. It was a rare color for these parts and he figured a woman could appreciate it more than an old man. He'd taken to picking up small things like that for her over the past few trips. Pieces of material he found he thought she might like. Flowers sometimes. It was something he'd gotten in the habit of doing ever since Sophia had gone missing.

He thought it might help now more than ever, especially since she was worried sick over Lizzie. The kid hadn't looked as bad as the others to him, so he was holding out hope that she wasn't too far gone yet. She wasn't Carol's kid, but at this point she might as well have been. He didn't know if he could take watching her have to go through that all again. It wouldn't be easy on him neither, but she'd already been through hell and back with it.

Losing the innocent never got easier.

Hopefully by now Rick had figured out who had killed Karen and David too. Whoever it was, they were gonna have to answer to him when this was all said and done. The one thing he'd been avoiding thinking about was what they were gonna do with them once it was out. Memories of Randall flashed back in his mind as he thought about how it had divided the group, and in the end they'd ended up losing three lives over it. They couldn't let it get that out of hand this time. If Rick wanted them dead, he would take care of it. He just hoped that whoever did it had a damn good reason as to why. They could have made it if they got through the worst of the symptoms. He couldn't see either of them asking someone to end it for them either. To his mind, it was straight up murder, and for all he knew, he was sitting in a van with one of the killers right now. If that was the case, he'd handle it when he got back. Until then, he was going to try and relax.

It had been long couple of days.

**A/N: Sorry this one is so short. I had wanted to focus on Daryl all along for this chapter, but considering how he doesn't know about anything with Carol and Rick yet, I was limited in my choices. I figured he had a decent amount of things to think about though on the ride back to the prison. I can only imagine how he's going to react when he gets back! That's all for now, I'll try to get back with more again soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello folks…**

**I'm not going to go into much this week because honestly I'm burnt out. Having debates about what's going to happen and if people are team Rick vs team Carol is just too much for me right now. I have to have faith that things will work out the way they're supposed to. Until then, I'm going to write what I want to write and call it a day**

**I will, however, say this…keep your love for Carol/Melissa alive, guys. They need our support now more than ever. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with The Walking Dead.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

Herschel could feel it coming. It started in the back of the throat and was quickly working its way to the front of his head. The pressure behind his eyes was intensifying by the minute and was making it hard to concentrate on anything. Soon the coughing would get worse and his insides would begin to dissolve like tissue paper, and then he'd die a horrible death just like everyone else in this cell block.

At least, that's how it was beginning to feel.

He'd tried to stay strong for the others while he was making the rounds, hoping that he could keep up their spirits until Daryl's group got back with the medication. The sad reality of the matter was that he knew that even if they got back soon, many of these people weren't going to make it. When the vital organs began to shut down, there was nothing anyone could do to reverse it. He'd seen diseases like this rip through local farms he'd tended to, and when something like this attacked the animals, it almost always took them all. When you lived in such closed off quarters, it was almost inevitable. Right now, everyone was susceptible, but none so much as Herschel himself.

He had to thank the lord that no one else had gotten sick over the last few hours, but it had already affected too many of them. Caleb was almost at the point of no return, but Sasha and Glenn were still hanging in there. Lizzie, who was currently the youngest one in quarantine, seemed to be holding up better than the others. Maybe he had been wrong in his assumptions that they young would be compromised first. Maybe this particular strain affected the older ones quicker. It was so hard to tell with no real science behind it to back it up. There were no labs left to test the strains and see how they affected people. No miracle cures just feet away that could make it all disappear. For now he was stuck treating the symptoms as best he could. It wasn't much but it was all he had.

Rick and Carol had gone off together to get more food and supplies but they should have been returning soon. Maybe they would be able to find something to help combat the fevers for the time being at least. He just hoped that everything had gone all right. Rick had seemed distant before he left, but he had come over to the glass divide to tell him the plan and that they would be back shortly. Herschel figured that he was still distressed about the situation with the burned bodies. Tyreese had been more than forthcoming with his intentions on what he planned to do to the person once he found out who it was. Herschel could understand his pain, but he was letting his emotions dictate his life. It wasn't healthy. Rick was still recovering from losing Lori months later too. Neither one of them was in the right place to be dealing with such an event. For their sake alone, he hoped it all worked itself out.

In the meantime, there wasn't much left to do but wait.

The pain was starting to get worse, making it hard to keep his eyes open. Finding an empty cot, Herschel lay down to rest, trying to focus on anything other than the knowledge that his sinuses were on fire and his throat felt like it had razorblades cutting into the delicate tissue. He had been trying to ignore it in hopes of keeping up the others spirits, but that was getting too difficult to do now. Even standing up was getting harder because he felt unsteady, and that meant that his one good leg would probably end up betraying him before long. Herschel tried to relax as best he could, replaying quotes from his favorite psalms back again in his head as a way to cope with the ever-growing ache that was trying to occupy its space. In times of uncertainty, he could always rely on the words he knew so well to help him find solace in the things he could not rationalize. It was his one and only comfort left in a time of insanity.

He thought about his girls…when all this was over, they would take it the hardest, he knew. Beth was holed up with Judith, while Maggie tried to keep herself busy so she didn't have to think about the men she loved being compromised just a few hundred feet away. After everything they'd been through, it wasn't fair to have their strength tested once again, but he knew they could do it. If anyone had to go, it should be him…a father should never outlive his children. Even if Glenn didn't make it, Maggie would hopefully survive and be able to go on with the group. Beth had managed to handle Zach's death with grace and dignity as well. They were strong. They could get through this together.

"Herschel?"

The small voice came from the shadows, causing him to lift his heavy eyelids and sit up so he could focus on its source. "Lizzie?"

"It's starting."

Her ominous tone told him all he needed to know. People were dying. Turning. It was the beginning of the end.

"Where?"

"Down by the other end. Near where Dr. S is."

Herschel grabbed at the railing of the bed, forcing himself to push up and get on his feet. He couldn't think about himself right now. He had to keep going.

It was mind over matter, and right now, there was no time for the matter.

WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD

Rick was almost back.

He could see the tips of the watch towers hovering off the distance. It was nearly nightfall now, but the sun was casting a dark orange hue that made everything surrounding it look like it was on fire. Maybe it was an omen.

He still hadn't made his final decision. He'd figured that when he was getting close to needing to make a choice, it would just suddenly come to him. It wasn't turning out to be that easy. It was funny considering it wasn't the first time he'd done this. Coming back to inform the others that one of their own wasn't coming back never got easy, but it was even worse when it had been his decision that marked it. When Daryl had left, he hadn't had a choice in the matter. With Shane, it had been a matter of life and death. Now, in this moment, he was regretting his actions more than ever.

He should have handled this one differently.

Everything he'd promised to stop doing was coming back at him in full force. He was back to making the calls on the situations. Back to dictating who lived and who died. How had he let himself fall back into that pattern again? The real kicker was that she'd agreed to it without so much as a word. He didn't know how he would have reacted if she'd fought him on it. It was an acceptance that he couldn't bring himself to question. It just solidified her guilt. Something still didn't feel right about everything that had happened. Had he looked at all ends of things? In that moment, it had been so cut and dry, but now it felt slanted. Tainted. Wrong.

Carol had been there with him through most of the best and worst moments in his life. She had stepped up and helped raise his child when he was unable to cope. She had been a friend and mentor to him when he'd needed guidance. She had helped guide their group to a better existence at the prison. Was she really capable of all of this? How had she turned so cold so fast? He had been watching her all day, and it had gotten progressively worse. In the beginning, she had tried to make sense of it. He'd almost believed her too.

_They would've drowned in their own blood, they were suffering. I made it quick. _

_They were a threat. I was trying to save lives. I had to try. Somebody had to._

Now as he thought back on it, it had almost been a slap in the face, but he'd bit his tongue. Once they started combing through the houses, however, things had gone from bad to worse. Carol was obviously blurring the lines between right and wrong. When it came down to having to make a decision on if Ana and Sam came back with them, she had contradicted him in spite of the situation. When he called her on it, she only pushed further, the condescension visibly apparent in her tone. Once again, he had held back, but eventually was forced to answer back when she began to attack his methods.

_If you thought it would save Judith or Carl, would you have done it then or would you have just gone back to your crops and hoped it would be okay? _

She had done it before, but never to this extent. It was like a child testing a parent's breaking point to see what they could get away with. He hadn't broken…he'd snapped in two. All of the anger at the situation had begun to boil over, and he couldn't take much more. Then, to top it all off, she threw it back in his face.

_You don't have to like what I did, Rick. _I _don't. You just accept it._

She wasn't sorry for what she had done…not anymore. She had justified it into the only thing she could call truth. The soft, caring woman he'd know was gone, and replacing it was a cold, hard machine who only did what she had to so that she could survive. Carl had almost slipped through his fingers in that same way, but he had managed to bring him back. There was no saving Carol now. She had done the unthinkable and was a danger to their group. Even if he took her back, he would just have to step in again when the others realized what had happened. Rick had no doubt in his mind that Tyreese would end her life as soon as he found out, and there wouldn't be a damn thing he could do about it. Dealing with Randall almost seemed like a picnic in comparison. He'd done this for Carol as much as he'd done it for himself. She wouldn't be safe at the prison anymore.

She had to leave.

The gate was now a few hundred feet away. From the looks of it, they had already spotted him coming. As he pulled up, the gate flew open and he made it in. The fences were still standing, which was a relief. Carl wasn't there, but that was a sign that he was still guarding the others like he'd been told. The only person he saw was Maggie, who looked relieved yet anxious. Zach's car was still gone, which meant that Daryl hadn't beat him back. They were still at risk.

"How'd it go?"

Rick got out of the car slowly, walking to the back to grab the supplies. He had to make his decision, and he had to make it now.

"Got a few things. Not much. Some food mostly."

Maggie immediately took notice of no passenger in the car. She wasn't stupid. "Carol?"

Rick shut the trunk, looking up to the sky as if he could find the answer in a cloud. In the end, he knew which was the simpler of the answers. The one that wouldn't require much consideration and that people would have to accept. It would be so simple to tell the lie and let it end there. Even as he opened his mouth to say it, it sounded too simple. He should have known it would never be that simple.

"She's gone."

**A/N: I purposely made his answer ominous in hopes that Rick will make the right decision and tell everyone what he did. If he lies on the show and tells them she died, I will be thoroughly pissed, but I can't call those shots. I don't agree with what Rick did, and I can't even say I agree with what I wrote, but I wrote it from his POV so I made it as honest as I could based on what I thought he would say. Herschel's going through a lot right now too, so I will be interested to see how they address that tonight as well. **

**Everyone's got an opinion on what they think should happen, so just like the show, I'm leaving it up to you. After tonight, hopefully we will know more about where it's headed, but if you have any thoughts or ideas feel free to send me a note and I'll try to respond back. Until then, I'm off to do some homework and chill out. This took more out of me than I ever thought it could lol.**

**LLACO**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello folks! **

**Once again, we're left without so much as an answer as to what happened with Carol and how Daryl found out about it. I am seriously ready to find Gimple, tie him to a chair and force him to tell me the plot because it's getting ridiculous. Now we have two episodes for the Governor coming up, and then the mid-season finale, and I'm seriously worried that nothing will be addressed before next year. How has time gone by so fast? *looks back at last few weeks and crazy anticipation leading up to it with no freaking idea***

**Either way, there are still plenty of theories floating around out there, but I have to thank Peta2 for writing a beautiful short fic about the council meeting up to discuss Rick kicking Carol out. It was nicely done and I loved the atmosphere of the setting. I do have faith that Carol will be found and reunited with the group, but not allowing us to see Daryl's process of grief on screen was just cruel. Their dynamic is what keeps me going most times, even though Herschel did an AMAZING job this week on his own. I am so glad that most of the people were spared from the sickness, but now there's another large threat looming and that usually means that someone we love is going to die. Right now, I think we're all on the same page as to who we want to kick the bucket this season. (hehe)**

**With that, here is what I think might have happened during that fated moment with Rick and Daryl. Hope you enjoy. LLACO**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything TWD related. If I did, Caryl would be making love, sweet love right now and I wouldn't spend every moment wishing I was invisible so I could sneak on set and find out what's going to happen.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

They made it back with no time to spare. Daryl immediately ushered Bob up to the ward to handle the meds before he had a chance to think about anything else. Glenn had been close to dying and apparently a few others had already had, causing havoc in the cell block just before they'd arrived. It sounded like Rick and Carl had gone to battle outside as well after the fence came down. It had been a shitty day for everyone, but they could fix what had been broken and it looked like the rest of the sick people were going to pull through. In Daryl's eyes, this was a major victory.

As soon as the sun rose the next morning, they began to take the bodies out to burn. It would be a day of hauling, which meant that he would end up more tired and sore than he already was, but it had to be done. There was no time to sit around and take pause on it because the minute they stopped, something else would happen. Daryl hadn't forgotten how it had been out there on the road all those months, and he knew that soon enough they would have to run again. From the looks of it, that time was coming sooner rather than later. He just hoped that they could keep things up long enough to get everybody back on their feet first. Right now they were still too vulnerable. It was going to be difficult to move around with kids in tow, but it wasn't like they hadn't done it before. They would have to have better rules this time. The kids should learn how to hunt and track, and he was willing to train them. Even if the adults didn't agree, in Daryl's mind it was better than the alternative. He'd have to bring it up at the next council meeting.

For now there was work to do.

As he reached down to grab his work gloves out of his belt, he realized that he still had the piece of jasper in his side pocket. Maybe now would be a good time to give it to Carol. She'd been through hell in the last few days with Lizzie, so something like this would probably make all the difference. He hadn't seen her since they got back, but she was probably just up in quarantine taking care of everyone. As soon as he saw Herschel, he flagged him down.

"How 'bout Carol? She up in A block with Lizzie?"

"No….talk to Rick about it."

It had been apparent by the look on Herschel's face that something was up. He'd made a point to tell him that she was fine, but it still didn't sound right. He needed to go find Rick and figure out what the hell was going on. By the time he did get ahold of him, he was back up at the yard with Carl. They both looked calm enough, but Daryl was bordering on panic.

"Hey Rick…" He walked up in a hurry, not stopping to think about anything else. "Herschel said you needed to talk to me. Somethin' about Carol."

Rick kept a calm manner, but his jaw hardened at the mention of her name. Now Daryl knew something was definitely up. He ushered Carl inside to help with the others and the two men walked down towards the other side of the prison where they could be alone. Whatever Rick was gonna say, he obviously didn't want the others to hear it. Daryl had a knot in his stomach and it was getting worse by the minute.

"What happened? Where is she?"

Rick took his time answering, obviously knowing that Daryl wasn't going to like the response. "Carol's gone…she left the prison."

"Left?" Daryl wasn't buying it. "Why the hell would she just up and leave?"

"I didn't give her a choice. She was a threat to us all."

He almost laughed. "We can't be talkin' bout the same woman then. Carol wouldn't hurt a damn fly."

Rick sighed. "Daryl…she was the one who killed Karen and David."

No. There was no way she'd done it. How could she have dragged those bodies out there herself? Any why burn them and then leave them there for everyone else to find? There had to be more to it. Rick must've sensed his questions because he was quick to continue the tale.

"While you were gone, I started noticing a change in her. Subtle things. She was anxious and on edge about everything. When I finally confronted her about it, she admitted it outright. The next day I realized how low we were on food in the A block, so I took her out with me on a run for supplies in the housing developments up north by the highway. We ran across two kids who were on their own and needed a place to stay. She was cold with them, almost manipulative. In the end, the girl didn't make it back alive and the boy disappeared, but she didn't even want to wait to see if he came back. She couldn't be bothered with it at all. It was like she'd lost all of her humanity in a matter of days. I knew that if I brought her back here, Tyreese would kill her and I couldn't stop it. I did what I thought was best for her Daryl. I gave her a bag of food and clothes, told her we would take care of the girls, and sent her on her way."

"And where the hell was she s'posed to go?" Daryl spat back, his mind not able to take in his words. "You basically just left her out there to die!"

"I did what I could for her!" Rick yelled back. "She's not safe here, and I couldn't leave it up to the council to decide what to do with her. There wasn't time."

"Did she tell you why she did it?"

"She said she was trying to stop the infection."

"Makes fuckin' sense to me."

"She still killed two people Daryl."

He scoffed. "Name one damn person in this camp that ain't killed someone. You got that blood on your hands as much as any of us!"

"It wasn't the same thing."

"THE HELL IT WASN'T!" Daryl was quickly losing his cool. "You tellin' me that one woman trying to prevent a fuckin' outbreak to save our group is a bigger threat than you killin' your best friend because he fucked your wife?!"

Rick's face said it all. "Daryl, don't you _dare_-"

"YOU TOOK HER OUT THERE BECAUSE YOU KNEW YOU WEREN'T BRINGING HER BACK! YOU WANTED TO GET HER OUT OF THE WAY SO YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO FUCKING DEAL WITH IT!"

"WHAT ELSE SHOULD I HAVE DONE?" Rick finally yelled back. "She admitted that she did it! She was a threat! I couldn't have her here around my children!"

Daryl completely snapped. Before he knew what he was doing, he shoved Rick back against the brick wall, bringing his face directly up to his until he was staring him in the eye. "That woman practically _raised_ your children. She stood by you when you lost Lori and your damn mind in the process. Don't you EVER talk about her like that again, or I will _end_ you."

For the first time since he'd known the man, Rick looked genuinely scared of him. He hadn't meant for it to go this far, but it was too late to take it back now. What he'd done wasn't right. Carol hadn't deserved this even if she had killed those people. He had to find her, and he had to do it now before the trail went cold. She couldn't have gotten far.

He pushed back off the wall away from Rick and turned to walk away. Rick would probably go to Herschel and say that he was a threat now too, but Daryl could've cared less. He'd known they would have to run eventually. If he wasn't welcomed back into the group after this, he and Carol could go off on their own and figure things out. He had no doubt in his mind that whatever she had done, she'd had her reasons. They'd been through too much for anything to sway his opinion on that.

"I know what you're doing Daryl…" Rick called back, following behind him. "It isn't going to change anything."

"Don't matter." He grabbed his crossbow off the fence and hooked it onto the back of the motorcycle. "She wouldn't give up on us, and I ain't givin' up on her."

"You can't bring her back here."

He started the engine and released the clutch. "Who says I'm bringin' her back?"

Rick froze on the spot as Daryl took off down the slope towards the gate. He got down to the bottom of the hill, but realized that there was no one on duty at the gates right at that moment. He could manage to get through the first gate by himself, but he was going to need help with the other. Turning the bike off and propping it up with the kickstand, he walked over to the fence to pull back the track, but before he got there, he noticed something just off to the side by the edge of the woods. Something was moving just off to the side, barely within sight. He squinted, trying to figure out exactly what it was. It remained still for another moment before darting back into the woods, but in that moment he got a better look. Suddenly, the knot in his stomach tightened.

He had to have seen it wrong. There was no way after all this time that it could come down to this. Not now. Not after everything they'd been through. It was fucking impossible.

"Oh shit…."

**A/N: I honestly was not expecting to get as aggressive with this as I did, but I think in a lot of ways it was also very therapeutic for me too. I really up to this point have loved Rick as a character and felt like I knew him pretty well, but I also feel like I know Daryl pretty well and it would've either come down to something close to this, or he would've just shut down completely. I prefer angry Daryl to closed off Daryl. Rick needed to fight back but he knew it wasn't a battle he was going to win. Daryl is fiercely loyal and he had to have known what would come out of it. Unfortunately, we may not be finding out anytime soon what happened or how long it'll take to find our girl once again. In the meantime, I choose to believe that Daryl hasn't given up and that they will be reunited once again sooner rather than later. **

**I recently tweeted to Melissa McBride with a statement that I feel is still completely valid. If they truly plan to get rid of Carol the same way they got rid of the others, they're missing an essential piece to the puzzle. Sex. Every major woman character on the show who has overcome a major adversity only to be killed by it in the end had one thing in common…they slept with the enemy. Unless Carol goes out and ends up running into Negan and starts messing around with him, I figure she's still in fairly safe territory for the moment. If you agree, send a shout out…if not, keep it to yourself;) LLACO**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello folks!**

**Well we're finally through those two daunting Governor episodes (I'm still trying to figure out what the whole point was…he could've just given us a quick synopsis of what he was up to while plotting out a way to take down the prison) but now we're almost up to the last new episode of the year. How has time gone by so fast? It seems like ages when you're waiting for it, but then in a blink of an eye it's all over. It reminds me of the day I met Norman in Philly—all that standing around for 1 minute of euphoria—and yes I would absolutely do it again!**

**So anyway, this chapter is going to be a little different than what I typically do, but I was inspired and felt it was the best way to handle it. While brainstorming for a way to write this chapter from Carol's POV on the road after Rick sent her off, I came across and song I hadn't heard in ages that basically summed up a lot of what I feel Carol is probably thinking about out on her own. Since Carol is currently in a car, I figured now would be the perfect time to have her listening to the song and reflecting on what has happened in her own life. That being said, I give you my first ever TWD song fic chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: You know the deal…I own nothing.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

It felt like she had been driving for ages, but the scenery was still familiar even now. She obviously hadn't gotten as far away as she'd thought. For all she knew, she'd been driving in circles this whole time. It wasn't like she was keeping track…time and distance seemed irrelevant anymore. There was nothing left to go back to. For the first time in her whole life, Carol was completely on her own.

The notion was daunting to say the least. She had spent so many years convincing herself that she couldn't handle something like this, and now she would have to prove that she could or risk pay the consequences. In a way, she was finally ready…at least, more ready than she'd been before. The hard part was knowing that no one was going to be there to help her if she got in a tight spot. She would have to be more careful than she'd ever been before. There was too much at stake now.

By now, people at the prison were probably wondering where she was…probably finding out the shocking news of her departure. Not being able to say goodbye was like having an open wound in her chest. The prison had been her home for longer than a year, and the people in it were her family. It killed her knowing that she may never get a chance to make it all right again.

Carol immediately wiped the thoughts from her head, her emotions getting the best of her. She had to focus. It was getting dark out, and she would be in trouble if she didn't figure out her next move quickly. Rick had given her some supplies on top of the ones she'd collected herself, but they wouldn't last very long. If she ran into a large enough herd at this point, she wouldn't stand much of a chance of surviving.

Where could she go? There weren't many settlements around as far as she knew. Woodbury had been the largest one they'd come across in all of their time out here, but according to Michonne, the town had been burnt to the ground after the rest of the survivors left. Plus, the Governor could still be out there lurking around and she definitely did not want to get caught up in a situation involving him. There was the town that Rick had come from, but he'd told them that it had been cleared out as well. Surely Herschel's farm was still overrun with walkers after months of not being able to manage the situation. If she headed south, maybe towards the coast, then she could find a place that would be more secure. The only problem was that she had no idea where she currently was. Quickly pulling over on the side of the road, Carol searched through the glove compartment of the station wagon hoping to find a map. To her surprise, she found something even better…a GPS.

_But will it even work?_

It was worth a shot. She plugged the contraption into the cigarette lighter, amazed when it actually powered up and attempted to connect to a satellite feed. Within a few moments, it was reading her coordinates. She couldn't believe it.

_It has to be a sign._

As she placed the device in the cradle by the dash, she noticed something else. There was a CD case lying on the floor of the passenger side, lodged between the seat and the console. It had been so long since Carol had driven in a car like this that she could barely remember the last time she'd even had the opportunity to listen to real music. It certainly wasn't when Ed was around. He knew how much she'd loved to sing and harmonize with the melodies, and had quickly put a stop to it. She only ever dared to do it when he wasn't in the car with her, and that didn't happen very often. Luckily, it wasn't something she had to worry about anymore.

Grabbing the case, she quickly flipped through the CD's, realizing she didn't recognize half of the names of the groups. As she got towards the back, she found a few that looked more familiar, but one immediately stood out over all the others. It had been one of her favorite albums from back when she was much younger, and the sight of it now after all this time was heartwarming. She quickly picked up the round disc and put it into the player, skipping right to her favorite song. Even before the lyrics began, she got goosebumps. It told the story of her life.

_Rows and flows of angel hair,_

_And ice cream castles in the air,_

_And feather canyons everywhere,_

_I've looked at clouds that way,_

_But now they only block the sun,_

_They rain and they snow on everyone,_

_So many things I would have done,_

_But clouds got in the way,_

_I've looked at clouds from both sides now,_

_From up and down,_

_And still somehow,_

_It's cloud illusions that I recall,_

_I really don't know clouds…at all…_

It was hard to remember a time when life felt carefree enough to daydream about things that didn't matter. It felt like ages since she'd even let herself indulge in such ideas, and even then, it had never ended well. Growing up without a father of her own, Carol used to make up scenarios in her head about meeting him and how he might be. Then as she entered her teenage years, the dreams transformed into finding the right man to come along and sweep her off her feet just like in a fairytale. Of course, her fairytale had quickly turned into a nightmare, but once again she had dared to wish for something better for herself. This time, her wish had come true, but with the worse consequence of all. She had lost the only other thing that had ever meant anything to her, and it had changed who she was forever.

Wishing and hoping wasn't going to save her this time. She would have to rely on her mind and her skills to get through this. That's what she had been trying to teach the children back at the prison as well. Daydreaming in a world like this would get you killed. The thought of losing another child to something so senseless was too much for her heart to bear. Some people may have seen it as cruelty or hardness, but it couldn't have been further from the truth. People were dying around them every day, and there was no way to stop it. If they grew to become adults, they would have to make the same difficult decisions as everyone else did. Her decision in that moment may have hurt people, but she had done it for them. To protect them the way others had protected her. To give them a chance.

_Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels,_

_The dizzy dancing way that you feel,_

_As every fairy tale comes real,_

_I've looked at love that way,_

_But now it's just another show,_

_And you leave them laughing when you go,_

_And if you care, don't let them know,_

_Don't give yourself away,_

_I've looked at love from both sides now,_

_From give and take,_

_And still somehow,_

_It's love's illusions that I recall,_

_I really don't know love…_

_I really don't know love at all…_

Love had been the hardest lesson to learn in her life. For many years, she'd thought that it was something that could only come out of pain. It was only after Sophia had been born that she began to understand what true, selfless, unconditional love was all about. It was something that she had never had with her own mother.

Carol had been unceremoniously handed over to Ed with her mother's full consent by the time she was twenty, citing that she would never find anyone else as good as him to take care of her. Even when the abuse started, she turned a blind eye to it, telling Carol that she couldn't abandon him because it was against God's will. In her eyes, the idea of Sophia growing up without a father was a far worse consequence than letting her husband beat her. Sadly, it had taken Carol far too long to realize that it wasn't the way life was really supposed to be.

It wasn't until Ed died that Carol began to hope for another type of life—one where she could be strong and capable of taking care of her child on her own. Unfortunately, she never got the chance to find out. Sophia's death had been her breaking point, and it was something that she could never fully recover from. The only thing that had gotten her through those torturous moments was the knowledge that she was surrounded by people who genuinely cared about her. It was then that she also realized just how much one person's strength could help her become the person she had always wanted to be.

A tear rolled down her cheek at the thought of never seeing him again. Daryl had been her best friend and her best chance of finding love again. They had been through so much together, and had formed the deepest bond that any two people could share. She only had to look at him to know exactly what he was thinking, and she knew he felt the same. He would take this the hardest of anyone. It killed her thinking that he could hate her as much as Rick did, but she was better off not knowing the truth. It was too late to take it back, and she wouldn't if she could. If anyone could understand why she'd done this, it was Daryl. She would miss him desperately.

_Tears and fear and feeling proud,_

_To say I love you right out loud,_

_Dreams and schemes and circus crowds,_

_I've looked at life that way,_

_Oh but now old friends, they're acting strange,_

_And they shake their heads, and tell me that I've changed,_

_Well something's lost, and something's gained,_

_In living every day,_

_Oh I've looked at life from both sides now,_

_From win and lose,_

_And still somehow,_

_It's life's illusions I recall,_

_I really don't know life…at all…_

Carol slowed down the car as she came to a large 3-way junction. She had a decision to make, and it would dictate her actions for the rest of her life. When she moved beyond this point, there was no turning back.

Her eyes fluttered up to the rearview mirror. Could she really just move on and leave it all behind? Would the other ever understand the lengths she'd gone to so that she could try and protect them? Did any of it really matter in the end? For the first time in her life, she could call the shots and decide for herself what she needed. The problem was that it had come too late.

Daryl had been right. No one could survive in this existence on their own for long. The way you survived was by sticking together and working as a unit. Without everyone, the tether would begin to unravel, and then you were all in danger. She couldn't let that happen. They needed to know real truth. The one she had been hesitant to tell them. They could do whatever they wanted to do to her as long as she was able to finally say her peace.

Carol turned the wheel as hard as she could, her foot gunning the gas pedal. She had made her decision. Rick wouldn't get to decide this for her this time. He had been wrong. She hadn't lost who she was. If anything, she cared too much now to let it go. This would be her defining moment.

She couldn't walk away.

_It's life's illusions that I recall,_

_I really don't know life…_

_I really don't know life at all…_

**A/N: There you have it. I happened to be watching "Love Actually" the other day (cause well…Andy is adorable in it) and just thought this song was so fitting to Carol. Joni Mitchell knows more about human emotions than most of us could ever express. I highly recommend listening to the song as you read too…makes it super emotional. **

**As for those of you wondering about the GPS situation, I have NO idea if that's even possible or not, but we're just going to pretend that it does for the purpose of this story. Also, I'm still not sure exactly how I'm gonna wrap this story all up, but it will probably be sooner than later because I don't like the idea of leaving this sit for three months until it comes back on. I'm gonna try and figure that out now.**

**I'd also like to mention that I just heard not too long ago about the passing of Paul Walker. I was honestly never a big fan of any of his movies, but I've heard that he was a super sweet guy and know that many of our favorite actors knew him and are mourning his loss. He was too young and it was a horrible way to die. I pray for his family in this tough time and hope that everyone else out there stays safe and healthy this holiday season. LLACO.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys…**

**Sorry for the delay in this chapter…with the holidays coming up and school almost being over for the year (yay!) I've been busier than usual. Hopefully in the next 5 weeks I will have time to work on this and some other stuff more thoroughly but we'll see how it goes**

**So the mid-season finale…my GOD I have never had so many feels in 45 minute's time in my entire LIFE! Things I was happy to see include Daryl's reaction to Rick's announcement of kicking Carol out (it killed my heart when he put his head down on the railing, but was quickly uplifted by his challenge to Rick about going to tell Tyreese) seeing the Governor FINALLY taken down with a graceful katana blade at the hands of my girl Michonne, and I have to say the moment when Lizzie and Mika came out toting guns gave me a pretty big thrill as well. You know Tyreese now owes his life to a pair of sisters under the age of 15, not to mention Carol, who taught them what they know!**

**Things I didn't enjoy…well that's pretty obvious. I miss Herschel already, but sadly I had expected his life to end in this episode weeks ago. I only wish it hadn't been so visually horrifying, but as they say, they don't send their best actors off the show without a pretty gruesome death…it's like their badge of honor. That being said, I NEVER want to see how they plan to kill off Daryl or Carol because I will probably never recover from it. I also did not enjoy watching Daryl fight off a bunch of people on his own and nearly get bit by a walker (my brain knew it wouldn't happen but it didn't stop me from screaming like my hair had caught fire) but I did enjoy watching him shield himself with a walker and throw a grenade in the tank. Judith's disappearance was also very disheartening but I do have some confirmation that the babies were seen still filming on set, so I have great hope that we will see Lil' Asskicker once again. **

**So my biggest challenge at this point in the story is literally…where does everyone go? They've all scattered to the wind and they literally have NOTHING on them but the clothes on their back. Where can we send them that is even remotely safe so that they can regroup and figure things out? Did they have a plan in place in case this sort of thing happened? Who will they run into back on the road again? Sadly, I have absolutely NO answers to any of these questions, so I'm just going to have to do my best to figure it out and work it along as best I can. I can absolutely guarantee that there will be a Caryl reunion in my story and it will be epic. Keeping those two apart for long gives me absolutely no satisfaction whatsoever. I need my separation anxiety to go down immediately, so this is my way of doing just that. As far as this chapter goes, I played around for a bit on who to have tell their tale, and the person that keeps popping out at me at the moment is Tyreese. He's obviously had some anger issues as of late, but now that he's been saved and is in charge of a gaggle of pre-pubescent kids, I have to think that his outlook in life is going to change drastically. Anyway, here's what I came up with. Hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I WANT CARYL BACK TOGETHER! Oh, and I own nothing.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

It was gone.

The security of the walls they'd shared for nearly a year was completely gone. Large chunks of debris lay scattered everywhere, mixed in with the bloody and broken bodies. The fence had been ripped down unceremoniously in a matter of seconds by the tank, not only letting in their human enemies, but also the undead ones. Everything had been compromised. It wasn't home anymore…it was a graveyard.

Tyreese had stopped thinking of it as home the minute Karen died anyway, but he had no idea that when he'd gone down to the tombs this morning that it would be the last time he'd set foot in that spot again. When he'd found the dissected rabbit and showed it to Rick and Daryl, he'd sensed how close he was to finding out who had done this to her. All he'd needed to do was to set a trap to catch the son of a bitch who had killed her and he would have his justice. Now, it was all gone. He might never know who had killed Karen and David. The peace of mind he'd longed for was quickly snuffed out at the first sound of the grenade.

Now he was lucky to be alive. He had gone up against the Governor before and knew all too well how quickly the man's rage could hit. Michonne had been lucky as well, but Herschel had not. Tyreese's blood had boiled in his veins at the sight of the man being sacrificed for nothing. At the same time, it had fuelled his will to take down the bastards who were threatening their group. If he couldn't get justice for Karen, he sure as hell would get justice for Herschel. He made good use of the rifle Daryl had handed him, but it was short lived. People were scattered everywhere, and soon enough it was clear that things weren't in his favor.

As the others made a run for it after Bob was injured, he had been left behind on his own. The space was too wide open, and he was immediately a target for the two soldiers coming his way. The young woman immediately got him in target as an older man followed suit just behind. He was trapped. Running and jumping behind the first barrier he could find, Tyreese waited for the end to come. For a split second, he almost welcomed it, but it never came. The gunshot rang out over the others clearly, causing the young woman to turn with confusion. She certainly hadn't believed what she was seeing…god knew he hadn't either. Lizzie and Mika stood, guns raised, waiting to defend his life. They had to have been scared out of their minds, but if they were it never showed. With one pull of the trigger, the woman fell down dead in front of them. Even as Tyreese stood up to survey the situation, he had a hard time conceiving of what had just happened.

"We gotta get outta here…"

Lizzie nodded, running off in the wrong direction with Mika fast at her heels. He tried to get their attention, but it was quickly clear that they were trying to get his. The minute he realized why, he knew he was in even deeper trouble. Two of the other younger kids were standing off just to the side of the courtyard holding a large carrier in their hands. Inside held the contents of Rick's daughter, Judith. How had she been left behind?

"Oh lord…we _really_ gotta get out of here."

Just as he said it, something exploded just off to his left and the small child exploded into howls. Deciding that it would be too hard to take the carrier, Tyreese quickly opted to just pick her up and run. He ushered the other kids to run out just in front of him and they made their way out into the woods and away from the gory scene behind them. They continued running until they reached the train tracks, finally stopping to catch their breath. Judith was still crying, and her chubby cheeks were stained with dirt which was running in streaks down her face. The youngest boy and girl were very quiet, sitting huddled together on a broken tree branch looking scared. Tyreese looked around, hoping maybe he would spot one of the others, but he hadn't seen anyone come their way yet. Until he did, he had 5 young people to worry about, and no plan to speak of.

"Did you see where any of the others went?" He asked finally, trying to bounce the crying child on his leg. "Was there a meeting place that any of you know?"

"I'm not sure." Lizzie spoke up, looking more dazed than usual. "Carol always just told us to run if we were in danger. She never said where."

The young boy, Luke, looked up. "We need to find somewhere to hide. It's not safe out here."

"But what if others come along?" Mika asked. "Someone might be looking for us."

Tyreese looked around again, secretly hoping that someone would have heard them and come to the rescue. He'd have been lying if he said he was good with kids, but until someone else crossed their path that he could trust, he was on his own. They were bound to run into someone from the prison eventually…there were only so many places they could go before they'd end up back at the same spot. Everything in the general area had been picked clean of supplies, so they'd have to venture out further to find anything in the way of food, but they might at least be able to find shelter in the meantime. There were some houses a few miles out that they could try. Maybe that's where Sasha and the others had headed.

_Sasha…_

His baby sister. The only person in the world he had left to care about. He had to pray that she and the others had gotten out all right. She was probably trying to help stabilize Bob, but they hadn't made it on the bus in time either. He hoped she wasn't stupid enough to go back and try to get medical supplies now. The Governor could still be out there, and his cronies might still be hanging around waiting for someone else to show up. He hoped to god that someone had managed to take him down, but he hadn't gotten a chance to look.

"I agree with Luke. We should keep going just in case. Let's walk the tracks for now. We can always come back later and see if anyone left a marker for us."

"He's right." Lizzie said, agreeing with him. "We should keep going. It will be dark soon and Judith's too upset. We need to find somewhere safe to go."

The others looked wary, but all stood and followed behind. Tyreese wished he at least had some idea of which direction to head from here. His tracking skills left something to be desired, and he suddenly wished he had paid more attention to Sasha's attempts to teach him how to scavenge. At least then he could get these kids some food. They wouldn't be able to go for long without something, especially the little one.

"Do any of you know how to look for berries or nuts?" He asked, hoping for a long shot.

"Sort of." Mika responded. "Daryl took us out once for a trip in the woods to try and teach us, but it didn't end well. Luke ate too many berries and got sick and puked all over his boots."

"I told him I was sorry!" Luke said bashfully. "He said he wasn't mad, but he looked it."

"Carol taught us how to cook a little too, but I don't know much about hunting." Lizzie replied. "We should have asked her when she was-"

Tyreese noticed she trailed off and became curious. "When she was what?"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

Then it dawned on him. "Wait…was she the one who taught you how to use those guns?"

Lizzie and Mika both stopped dead in their tracks and looked up at him; their faces saying it all. In another lifetime, Tyreese would have balked at the idea of kids their age knowing how to use weapons, but it was because of them that he was still alive. As far as he was concerned, Carol was the smartest of them all. She hadn't sugar-coated things and made them think that everything would just be okay in the end. She had taught them how to fight and how to be brave. It was about the only thing in this life that would keep them all alive.

"It's all right. I'm not mad either." He said continuing to walk along. "I owe you both for my life and I can never repay you for it. As soon as we find Carol, I'll thank her too."

"Do you think we can find her?" Mika asked, looking suddenly hopeful. "She wasn't at the prison when that man attacked. I haven't seen her in a few days."

"I saw her just before she left on the trip with Rick." Lizzie acknowledged. "She seemed…upset. Something was bothering her. She looked worried."

Tyreese realized that he hadn't seen her since he'd gone off with Daryl and the others either. She had promised to look in on Sasha for him as well, but he had no idea where she would have gone off to. For the kids' sake and his own, he hoped that she was all right.

They continued on in silence, always keeping an eye out for any stray walkers that might be roaming around. To his surprise, there weren't many of them wandering around the tracks anymore. The council had set traps for animals and he figured that most of them had been drawn towards the smell. If they could just keep up this momentum, they might be all right. Unfortunately, as soon as he thought it, Tyreese heard the snapping of branches just up ahead.

The girls quickly reached for their guns, but he held them back, ushering for Lizzie to take Judith until he could check it out. Luckily, she had stopped crying and was looking around with alarm just as they others were. He crept forward slowly, his gun now pointed straight ahead. The noise was loud enough that he knew it definitely wasn't coming from a chipmunk or a squirrel. Whatever it was, it was headed right down from the trail. He aimed for the spot, ready to pull the trigger at a moment's notice.

"WAIT!"

The sound of Lizzie's startling scream nearly made him pull the trigger on instinct, but he eased off just in time to realize what she was yelling for. He almost couldn't believe his eyes when he saw it.

"Oh my god…"

**A/N: Hmmm….I wonder just who (or what) they could have run into….Oh well, gonna have to wait until next time to find out! *evil chuckles***

**Also, I almost forgot…I'm also on the Tumblr now, so come check out my page if you'd like! It's under **

**I know some of you already have, but I'm always happy to hear from more of you! Until then, LLACO!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Happy Holidays!**

**It's crazy to think that Christmas is only one week away! Today is actually my last day of class for the year (yay!) so I'm very thankful for the break I'm about to receive more than anything. Hopefully in that time, I won't become a crazy person who does nothing but sits on her butt eating cookies and watching TWD...oh who am I kidding? We all know it's going to happen, and I welcome it with a warm hug (hehe)**

**So anyway, I'm back pretty quickly compared to last time, but that's because this chapter is a Daryl chapter, and lord knows I love writing Daryl's POV. I realized after it was too late that the prison group did in FACT have a plan on what to do once they got out of the prison (I'm surprised no one called me out on it but hopefully it didn't stick out too badly in the end) so I'm kind of changing tracks in this chapter. I also have a set up for the next one to explain what happened at the end of the last chapter, but that'll come pretty soon. Now that my brain doesn't have to focus on math tutoring or medical statistics, I should be in much better shape! So here you go and don't forget to keep sending me those lovely reviews to let me know someone is still reading this thing *big doe eyes* it would be much appreciated! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to The Walking Dead or it's affiliates. **

**Second Disclaimer: I'M ON WINTER BREAK BABY! WHOOOO!**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

They were halfway to the meeting point now. About a mile up ahead and that's where the others would be. The bus should have been there already with the sick people on board waiting, and hopefully the rest were on their way now. If Daryl was thankful for one damn thing today, it was the plan.

The council had mapped it out a while ago, knowing that if something like this had happened that they'd need to get out and have a point where everyone would know to go to. Most of the people at the prison had been in on it, but some hadn't. He only hoped that the people who hadn't were with someone who had. As far as where they'd go from here, he and Michonne had been plotting it out. They needed to go further south or west if they were going to find any new areas that hadn't already been raided. Supplies were already scarce and it was only going to get worse. Maybe Texas would have larger patches of land that hadn't been cleared out yet. Then again, maybe not. It was all a toss-up. For now, he just had to make it to the point.

Beth was following slowly behind, making it so that they had to go slower than he would've liked. He couldn't exactly tell her to hustle it up given what she'd just gone through. He was lucky to keep her upright at this point. If he'd gone through what she had, he'd probably be off in a corner somewhere trying to keep it together. It wasn't right, what'd happened to Herschel. If letting Carl take a shot at the Governor would have prevented the whole damn thing, he wouldn't have tried to talk him out of it. For a moment, it had almost seemed like they could've settled things peacefully, but then the fucking bastard had shown his true colors once again. How could men like that still exist in a world where there was already so little to look forward to? He was tired of watching men step over others just to get at something that was never theirs to begin with.

"You hangin' in there Beth?" He asked, knowing the answer but still trying to keep her talking anyhow. If she went into shock, he'd have a much bigger problem on his hands. "We should be there soon. Just gotta keep goin' a little bit farther s'all."

"I know." she said quietly, her eyes to the ground. "I'm okay."

"No ya ain't." He said plainly. "Ya have every right to not be okay, but we're gonna find Maggie soon and she'll help ya through it. I'm sure she's fine."

"You don't know that." Beth said barely loud enough to hear.

He may not have had physical confirmation that Maggie was still alive, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Beth believe that her only family left wasn't all right. Daryl trusted his gut, and something told him that she was still alive. He had to hope that he wouldn't find out the hard way that he was wrong.

"Ya said the kids weren't on the bus. How'd ya know?"

"I saw them run over to help somebody at one point. I think they might have had Judith with them."

Shit. If those kids had Judith and something happen to them it would kill him, not to mention Rick and Carl. Asskicker was still too young to understand the kind of danger there was out in the world. Even the younger ones couldn't really understand it completely. He'd tried to take them out once to show them how to forage for stuff in the forest but they treated it more like a picnic than a scouting mission. He couldn't blame them for wanting to make something fun out of it, but this was serious business now. They wouldn't be laughing and carrying on when a walker came by to take a bite out of them.

"Who was it that had her? Lizzie and Mika?"

"Yeah, and two of the younger ones too. I couldn't get to them because I was being gunned down."

Daryl sighed, stepping over a fallen branch. "I hope they didn't do nothin' stupid."

He turned back to help Beth, noticing that she didn't look so good. She was paler than usual, and her face was blotchy from having cried so much over her dad. Even so, she nodded in appreciation as he took her hand and guided her over the branch.

"I don't know for sure, but I think Carol's been teaching them how to use weapons. That was the impression that Maggie gave me. She didn't seem too happy about it."

Daryl paused, taking in this news. It made sense. She would've wanted those kids to be able to protect themselves in case something happened to them. She had all but told him that her biggest regret was that Sophia hadn't known how to defend herself out in the woods alone. If she had, her story might've ended differently. Now, it was too late to find out.

_It's not too late for Carol though._

Daryl hadn't forgotten his original mission before all of this had gone down. He was going to find her, come hell or high water. Something still didn't sit right with him about the whole thing. Rick had said that's she'd been acting cold and manipulative. The last time he'd seen her, he'd only seen compassion and worry for the kids she was trying to help. She'd taken them on without a thought for herself after their daddy had died. How could the same woman go and kill two people that she barely knew? There was more to it. There had to be.

"I'm sure the kids all right. Someone woulda found them by now and gotten them outta there."

"There weren't many people left by then." Beth said, her voice wavering. "Daryl…what if Maggie didn't make it out of the prison? What if she and Glenn are gone?"

Daryl immediately turned back to her, his head shaking in defiance. "Naw…don't you even go there right now. They're alive and they're waitin' on us right now. Don't put that in your head. It ain't gonna get us nowhere."

Beth looked like she wanted to argue with him, but didn't have the energy to do it. She nodded softly, looking up at him with fear in her eyes. He hadn't seen her this bad in a long time. Even when he'd gone to give her the news about Zach, she had been composed and reasonable. Of course, she hadn't witnessed his death either. It changed a person, especially when it was at the hands of another human. The walkers couldn't help themselves, but this could and should have been prevented.

"Come on. We're almost there."

They walked along in silence the rest of the way, their minds probably both focused on what they would find when they got to the meeting spot. Daryl knew they had to be close because he could almost make out an opening just ahead. As soon as he got Beth settled and they figured out a plan, he would set out on his own to look for Carol. He would have to find a new mode of transportation, or maybe go back for his bike once the grounds cleared out a little, but first he needed to make sure that everyone else was accounted for and taken care of. The opening to the road was now in his sight and he pushed Beth to keep going, but by the time they stepped out of the woods and onto the main road, he was stunned at what he saw.

"What the fuck? Where are they?"

Beth looked around for a moment before turning back to him. "What if they got stopped by a herd and couldn't get through?"

He shook his head. "Naw. I've been out on this road plenty and I ain't never seen a herd big enough to take down a bus. Something else musta happened."

"What do we do now?"

Daryl looked back at her, his face probably betraying him. He didn't have a damn clue what to do now except wait it out. They'd have to come by here at some point. It was the only road out of the prison before the highway. Then again, maybe they already had passed by and were just a little further down the road. There was a large curve ahead that made it difficult to see anything beyond that point.

"Let's backtrack a little. Maybe they just didn't go down far enough."

They continued walking, but after they rounded the curve, there was still no bus to be found. Daryl was beginning to think that maybe Beth had been right, but he couldn't let himself actually come out and say it. He turned back to say something to Beth when he heard a large branch snap somewhere in their general direction. Daryl quickly spun around; his crossbow aimed directly at the woods in front of him where he'd thought the sound had come from. He signaled Beth to get behind him and crept up slowly towards the edge of the road until he could get a better view of what it might be. He heard a moan and immediately assumed it had to be a walker. It wasn't until he heard another voice that he realized someone else was there.

"We've got to ge-" Sasha's voice cut out when she came trudging out from behind a tree and saw Daryl and Beth, both lowering their weapons. "Oh thank god."

When she stepped aside, Daryl could see that she was attempting to support Bob, who looked like he'd been shot in the shoulder. Just behind them, to Daryl's full relief, was Maggie. The minute she saw Beth, she dropped Bob's other arm and ran to hug her sister as tears flowed from both of their eyes.

"Don't you EVER do that to me again!" Maggie half yelled, half cried as she pulled back from her younger sibling. "You scared the hell out of me! I told you to get on that bus!"

"I had to find the kids!" Beth yelled back, still clinging to her only relative. "Did you find Glenn?"

"Yes, he's on the bus, but he'll be plenty mad at me for getting off to go looking for you." Maggie said, relief apparent in her voice until she looked around at the road. "Wait, where are they? This is where we were supposed to meet."

"We were just wonderin' the same damn thing." Daryl said, going over to help Sasha. "Thinkin' maybe they got held up somewhere, or kept goin'."

"Why would they keep going?" Bob asked, looking like he was in a decent amount of pain. "I thought we were all going to meet up here and then go on from there."

"Who was driving?" Sasha asked. "Do you think they got spooked off?"

"No clue, but we gotta find out one way or another." Daryl strapped his crossbow over his chest and grabbed Bob's good arm, putting it over his shoulder to take on the weight. "We'll walk until we find them, or they find us. Let's go."

**A/N: Sorry for the minor cliff hanger again. I promise a Caryl reunion is coming soon. Just gotta hash out some other stuff first. In the meantime, SEND ME SOME LOVE! (Or at least some confirmation that you're still reading and I'm not writing to imaginary people lol) LLACO!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello lovely readers!**

**Thanks to all of you who sent me reviews. I missed hearing from you guys! Big shout outs to vickih, DarylDixon'sLover, Pantherbabe4ever, and YouthINaisa6 for making my week :-) Also a happy hello to all the people who have found my stories through Tumblr…love you guys! I've found a community that accepts my crazy ramblings and insane theories and still makes me feel fairly sane at the end of the day, so I thank you for it!**

**So I can't believe that Christmas is already over! It just flew by so quickly didn't it? It was a pretty quiet year for me what with being in school and not being able to afford many gifts for people. It was actually kinda nice knowing that I wasn't getting much and wasn't giving much. Sometimes I really think people just get too caught up in the process of trying to outshop each other and lose the real meaning of the holiday…being with family. I had a nice relaxing day, and I hope all of the rest of you did as well **

**Now that I'm FINALLY on my winter break from school (whew) my only goal is figuring out where I am taking the rest of this story, and I think I finally have it all worked out. I can tell you that we will definitely be having a Caryl reunion (hopefully sooner than later) and I'm going to reveal who *I* think the killer was and what their motivation was in doing so. This will also set up another tough decision for Carol to have to make, and it will help our two favorite characters reconnect even closer than they had before. **

**So with that note, enjoy this chapter and I hope to hear from more of you soon!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with The Walking Dead.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

"Oh my god…" Tyreese lowered his gun, taking in the sight in front of him. "Glenn you scared us. Are you all right?"

"I've been better." Glenn said, his face showing his exhaustion. "But I'm glad I found someone."

Mika gestured to his face. "Your head is bleeding."

"It is?" Glenn raised his hand to his head, noticing it came away spotted with blood. "I must've hit it at some point."

Tyreese handed him a handkerchief. "Wait…weren't you on the bus?"

Glenn nodded. "Yeah, but we swerved to avoid a couple walkers and ended up in a ditch. Everyone's okay but they're stuck on the side of the road."

"How far is it?"

"Just on the other side of the clearing." He looked around. "I think. My sense of direction isn't the best right now."

"You need to sit down." Tyreese said, trying to guide him to sit down. "You're still sick. You need to take it easy."

"I need to find Maggie…she went to look for Beth and never made it back."

"I saw her before we left." Tyreese replied. "I think she's with Sasha and Bob. He got hit before they ran for it, so they might be lagging behind."

"But you definitely saw her?"

"Yeah, she was okay."

"Oh thank god…" The relief on Glenn's face was obvious. "When she didn't come back, I panicked. Did you happen to see Beth or Herschel before you left?"

Tyreese froze, realizing that Glenn hadn't seen the worst of the battle. He didn't know that Herschel had been killed, but now wasn't the time to tell him either. He figured the kids didn't know either, since they were all looking up at him innocently.

"Um, no, but…I'm sure they're around here somewhere."

Glenn looked puzzled. "Wait, how did Judith and the kids end up with you?"

"We were taking Judith to the bus, but Tyreese needed our help." Mika replied. "The bus left, so we all just ran after that."

"Have you seen Rick or Carl?" Tyreese asked, hoping maybe one of them made it to the bus. "We've been looking for anyone to cross our path, but so far we haven't found anyone."

"No." Glenn shook his head. "But Rick's tough. I'm sure he-"

Before he could finish his sentence, they heard two loud gunshots echoing off the air around them. Everybody jumped, including the baby, who looked stunned by the sound. It was hard to tell which direction it had come from, but chances were that it had come from near the bus. Glenn jumped quickly, attempting to run back in the direction from where he'd come from. Tyreese threw his gun on his back again, grabbing Judith out of Lizzie's hands and ushered them all to follow behind.

They made their way through the thick patches of trees as quickly as they could until they finally arrived back at the road, but they were down further than they'd expected to be. The bus was close to 50 yards away, dipping down off the side of the road at an odd angle. Even though they had been off mark, they immediately saw where the source of the gunshots had come from. There was one walker lying in the middle of the road, and two women huddled together on the other side. It was hard to see their faces, but Tyreese was pretty sure they hadn't been with the prison group before. For all they knew, this was another diversion tactic set up by the Governor. Making the decision quickly, he turned back to the kids who were still standing behind him looking worried.

"Glenn and I are going to go check on this, but I want you to make your way down to the bus." He handed the baby back to Lizzie. "Mika, do you still have your gun?"

"Yes." Mika pulled the piece out of her waistband. "I can keep them safe."

He nodded. "I know you can. Just stay together and keep an eye out. If you see or hear anything, you yell and I will come."

"Yes sir."

Tyreese watched carefully as they made their way towards the bus, noticing the younger ones looked less than sure about his decision. He attempted a smile as they looked back at him, ushering them to keep up with the girls. When they were a few yards down the road, he proceeded over to where Glenn now stood next to the women. It looked like he'd already started the interrogation. Both looked visibly shaken, but seemed otherwise unharmed.

"Their names are Lilly and Tara." Glenn informed him. "They say they were attacked and shot the walker."

"We were." One woman replied, trying to comfort the other. "We were just trying to figure out how to get out of here when it came at us. We didn't have a choice."

"Why did you shoot it?" Tyreese inquired. "The noise will just bring more of them."

"I didn't think…" The one with pony tales replied, her face pale and sweaty. "T-they were coming and I just…I mean it all happened so fast…"

"She's in shock." The other replied, looking at them with a calm expression. "Actually, I think we both are."

Tyreese suddenly recognized the face of the younger one. "You were with the Governor's group weren't you?"

They both looked up, confused. "The Governor?"

"The man with the eye patch. You were with him weren't you?"

The older one nodded. "He found our family couple of months ago. Tara and I were holed up in an apartment taking care of our dad, but then he died and Brian said that he would help us. He was good to my daughter and me…like we were his family. We believed him. He promised he would keep us safe."

"He promised a lot of things." Tara said bitterly. "He promised no one would get hurt if we helped him too…so much for that."

Glenn sighed. "It's not our first time dealing with the sicko. He probably fooled you the same way he fooled his last group."

The sisters looked up, amazed by what they were hearing. "He had another group? He said he'd been on his own for months."

"He had been, but before that he'd run a community near here called Woodbury." Tyreese replied. "My sister and I spent some time there. He's tried to take the prison before, but he went and killed most of his own men when things went south. He disappeared after that."

Tara cowered on the ground, her body now shaking. "We…we didn't know…"

"Are you alone?" Tyreese asked, looking at them. "What about your daughter?"

He regretted it the minute the words spilled out of his mouth. It was obvious that something had happened to the child if she wasn't with her mother or aunt. Lilly looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Sh-she got bit….just before the battle…she didn't make it."

"I don't think Alicia made it either." Tara said tearfully. "I didn't see her come out."

"I know Tara." Lilly cried, then looking up at the two men. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Tyreese looked back at Glenn, both men thinking the same thing. These women had no idea what kind of a mess they had gotten themselves into until it was too late. They had lost everything but each other in the process. There was a standing rule that anyone new to the group was held in confinement for at least 48 hours until they could be assessed for mental stability, but they didn't have that luxury anymore. It was pretty obvious to Tyreese that they weren't a threat, but it was also a gamble to allow them to tag along when they had no idea who they really were.

"I'm sorry about your daughter. We lost a lot of people too." Glenn said sympathetically. "My whole family is missing at the moment, so right now my only priority is finding them. I can't tell you what is going to happen to you, but the first step in living to see another day is to hand over your weapons right now. I need you to stand up."

Both women stood slowly, their hands shaking as they raised them into the air. Glenn walked over and grabbed both guns from them, backing up to where Tyreese stood. He kept them in his hands, but pointed them down at the ground.

"There's a bus just down the road. We need to get back there and try to get it on the road again, so we're going to walk over there to find the others. You can stay with us for the time being, but if you try anything you will regret it. Do we have an understanding?"

They both nodded, shuffling their way to the front as the two men followed behind. In a way, it felt like a death march as they made their way up the road towards the large gray bus. Tyreese glanced up the road and saw that the kids were just getting there. One of the adults saw them and guided them over to the side by a large post, which was blocking his view. He continued to monitor the women walking in front of him, knowing that they wouldn't be fool enough to try anything if they truly wanted to live. When they finally arrived at the bus, Glenn stopped them and turned back to Tyreese.

"I think there's some rope in the back of the bus." He said, pointing to the emergency exit. "We'll tie up their hands for now until the rest of the group gets here and we make a decision."

"Sounds good."

He opened the back door, immediately finding a ball of twine on the floor. It would work for now until they could fashion something better. He handed it back to Glenn, then turning his attention back to the group of people from the bus who were huddled together just off by the edge of the woods. He could make out Judith, who was being held by one of the women, and he could see Luke and Molly, but the other two were nowhere in sight. He made sure that Glenn was okay on his own and quickly headed over to where the two children stood.

"Where are Lizzie and Mika?"

Luke, who had a mouth full of jerky, quickly looked over at Molly as if he was searching for approval. Both of them looked guilty, but he had no idea why.

"Look, you're not going to get in trouble. I just need to know where they are."

"They're okay." Molly said unconvincingly. "They had to leave for a while but they'll be back."

"What do you mean they had to leave?"

Luke swallowed his jerky. "They said they had to go and do something but that you shouldn't worry. They're not alone either."

"So where are they?"

Tyreese searched the faces of the two kids, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Why would Lizzie and Mika have to leave? Any who were they with? He had seen them not five minutes before, and all of these people were standing around, and yet somehow no one had seen two kids wander off with someone. Something was off. It didn't feel right.

Luke's face wrinkled up in a way that told him that he knew he wasn't supposed to tell anyone what he knew, but he was struggling with his decision. Tyreese knew he had the upper hand in this situation because his size alone was enough to intimidate a grown man, let alone a kid. A small amount of coaxing and he would get him to spill.

"Luke…" He said in his stern voice. "You need to tell me right now. Where are Lizzie and Mika? Who took them?"

The little boy whimpered, knowing he didn't stand a chance. "I don't know where they went, but I know who has them."

"Tell me."

He sighed. "It was Carol…she came and took them away."

**A/N: *ducks flying rocks* I know I know! We didn't even get a Carol sighting, and now I have her abducting children…but as always I PROMISE there is a point to it. You have my word that we will see her again very soon. I'm already working out the specifics but until then you're just going to have to deal with the fact that she's in the general area. Now I just need to work out the logistics of getting the rest of the group in one spot and we'll finally be getting somewhere!**

**So send me some love, and until next time…you know the drill;-)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Happy New Year!**

**Wow…2013 is over already. I feel like all in all, it was a good year for me. I finally left my dead-end job and went back to school. I got rid of some dead weight in my personal life. I also cemented my full obsession with The Walking Dead after meeting Norm and started writing again. Through doing this, I found a community that has been completely accepting of me, discovered that I have a twinnie in another country *squishes*, and have gotten to know and admire so many of my followers. Yes, 2013 was very good to me, but I'm also excited to see what a new year will bring as well.**

**So what will this new year bring us? Well for starters, it had better bring some MAJOR resolution to all of the unanswered questions floating around right now in the TWD world. The new teaser clips have been running rampant in the last day or two and sadly they just make things look more confusing. There are still 100 different theories as to what might have happened, and I have gone through every scenario imaginable as to who this killer could be and why they did what they did. Most of the solutions I have come up with are pretty out there, but I think I may have found one that will work out pretty well for this story and I haven't seen it done by anyone else as of yet which is kind of exciting. I will go into more detail about that soon, but for now I have to give props to ****adelicateflower08**** for her very interesting hypothesis, aptly named "Tyler Durden Theory" (which I LOVE), and also to ****Peta2**** for her unique and intriguing theory as shown in her story, **_**Deep Down in the Hollow Ground**_**. It was definitely something I never would have imagined myself, but I'm enjoying it thoroughly nonetheless. Most of you are probably reading it anyway, but if you're not, check it out. (BTW Peta-this was one of those stories I never intended to write and it took on a life of its own hehe)**

**For now, on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but I still need answers…seriously people I'm going bonkers here…**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

The group continued to move forward up the road as the last of the light from the sky began to sink back into the hillside. Maggie was trying to push herself to keep going but it wasn't easy. Beth marched along quietly by her side, occasionally glancing over with a mixed look of shock and guilt plastered on her face. They were one of the only two people in the group that wasn't injured or incapacitated in some way, but for all intents and purposes they might as well have been. None of them could keep up this pace much longer and she knew it.

It felt strange not having a home to go back to. The days of not knowing when they would be able to find food or shelter was something she had hoped to have put behind her for good, but her father had been right. Eventually, all good things come to an end and it was back to basics once again. She wished she hadn't taken it for granted for so long. Their life at the prison had been as close to perfection as this world could get. It was the place she had found hope in happiness with Glenn and their commitment to each other. It was where Judith had been born and where she had met so many new friends. It was where she had found her place in the group. Now it was all gone, along with the man who had taught her everything she knew.

_Daddy...No….Please…_

The image of her father on his knees in front of the Governor's henchmen was still clear in her mind. Her heart had nearly pounded out of her chest as she stood there watching him and Rick argue back and forth, trying to decide the fate of their lives. Beth had grabbed her hand and squeezed to the point of cutting off circulation when he jumped down off of the truck with the sword. Seconds felt like hours as they stood there, waiting for a resolution that never came. She only took her eyes off of her father for one moment in the end, just long enough to see him mouth one word.

**Liar.**

At first she hadn't even realized that she was screaming. It was something guttural; something she could barely recognize coming out of her. It felt like a piece of her soul had been hacked away along with the swing of the katana. The sound of gunfire blocked it out momentarily as she pulled the trigger of the semi-automatic rifle, aiming at everything within shooting distance. All happy memories had perished, having being eaten away like a virus, leaving nothing but blinding darkness and relentless pain. The only thing that brought her back was the realization that Glenn and Beth were still alive. She had to save them, or it would all be for nothing.

_They need you Maggie. Keep them safe._

Hearing her father's words in her head, she pushed onward. It was the only thought that could keep her going right now. She had managed to find Beth, but Glenn was probably out of his mind wondering where she was. He probably didn't know what had happened, and she had no idea how she was going to be able to tell him. It wasn't something she could focus on right now, however, because even the simple motion of walking was becoming increasingly more difficult. Her legs felt like limp spaghetti and she thought her head might just split apart from sheer tension. The others seemed to be struggling as much as she was too. Daryl was doing his best to keep Bob upright on his own because Sasha was starting to tire as well. Beth was still holding her arm, almost as if she was afraid she'd fall over without someone to balance her. They were all moving at a snail's pace which was making the idea of ever finding the bus seem impossible. Then, without warning, Daryl stopped dead in his tracks. He groaned as he tried to keep Bob upright, but it was apparent that he was losing the battle.

"Dammit…he passed out." Daryl took the weight of his body, kneeling down until Bob was lying on the ground. "We can't keep goin' like this. I can't carry him that far."

Sasha went over to help. "I don't think he's hemorrhaging but his body is probably in shock. We really need those medical supplies."

"You ain't lookin' so hot neither." Daryl noticed, looking back at Maggie and Beth. "And you two are worryin' me plenty all on your own."

"So what should we do?" Beth asked, still leaning against Maggie for support. "It's getting dark and we don't even have flashlights."

Daryl looked around for a minute, trying to figure out what they could do in their predicament. It was a tough call to make because their options were severely limited. For a moment, Maggie thought about suggesting that they go back to the prison to try and salvage supplies, but she knew that there was no way that she could ever go back to that place again. The thought of seeing the remains of her father lying there would be enough to do her in for sure.

"Findin' that bus is our best chance at gettin' outta here alive." He said, pushing back to his feet. "I'm gonna go ahead on my own and try to scout it out. We can't be far now. Maybe one of you's can make a fire in the meantime to try and stay warm."

"What if you can't find the bus?" Sasha inquired. "I don't like the idea of sending one person out there with no way of knowing if you're okay or not."

"We don't got a lot of choices right now." Daryl grabbed the crossbow off his back. "It's this or we wait it out til morning right here. I'd rather take my chances of findin' em than sittin' here hopin' for a miracle."

"I'll go with you." Maggie heard the words come out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. "You guys can stay here and I'll go with Daryl. Then we can try to bring it back and get Bob some medical attention."

"No." Beth looked close to crying again. "I'm not leaving you again. If you go, so do I."

"Beth, I need you to stay here." Maggie said, looking her in the eye. "You're the only other person who's not hurt or sick. If something comes along you need to be ready for it. I know you can do that."

"No…I can't." Beth's face showed her anguish. "I can't lose anyone else today and if you leave there's a chance I'll never see you again."

"You will…I promise."

"How can you promise anything?" Beth cried, a tear falling down her face silently. "Maggie…we just lost daddy. You almost lost Glenn a week ago. You can promise to the moon and back, but it doesn't mean anything anymore. Promises don't exist. Not here."

Maggie took in her little sister's words. There weren't many things she could promise anymore that would hold up in this world. She couldn't even promise something as simple as a swift death anymore. All around them was pain and suffering on so many different levels and there was no way to fix it. She was tired of being afraid, but Glenn had been right. It was the only way they could stay alive. She couldn't promise Beth her fear wouldn't come to be realized.

"All right. I'll stay."

Daryl turned back towards them. "Y'all stay together just off site. Build a fire if ya gotta but make it low." He threw Sasha his lighter. "You can use this. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Maggie watched silently, still holding onto Beth as he turned on his heel and started running down the road. If any of them could make it in these kinds of conditions, it was Daryl. With any luck, he would be able to find Glenn and the others and let them know that they were okay. Sasha went back over to Bob, who was partially lying on the cracked road.

"Let's get off to the side until Daryl gets help. Can one of you help me?"

Maggie went over to where they were and grab his other arm. "Beth get his legs."

All three women carefully pulled Bob over to the edge of the woods, propping him up against a tree. When she looked at the other two, they were both leaning on trees as well, trying to catch their breath. Neither of them looked well enough to do much of anything else.

"Should we build a fire?"

"Let's give it a few minutes." Sasha said, slowly creeping down to a sitting position on the ground. "I need to rest."

Maggie sat down as well, her body all but screaming at her in relief at the idea of being able to relax. Everything hurt and she felt mentally and physically exhausted. Within a few minutes, her eyelids felt too heavy to keep open. She tried to force herself to get back up, but somehow her arms and legs refused to move. She could hear cries coming from somewhere nearby and worried that maybe one of the kids had lost their way and was running around scared. After much coaxing from her brain, she finally managed to pick herself back up again, telling the others to stay put as she followed the sound.

"Hello? Who is there?"

The cries were getting closer but she still couldn't find their source. It suddenly occurred to her that wandering around in the woods in the dark was a really stupid thing to do, but as she spun around, she realized that she had no idea where she was anymore. Everything looked the same…the trees were nearly identical as she tried desperately to retrace her steps once again. Her breathing increased but she tried to stay as calm as she could, knowing that panicking wouldn't help anything. She reached for the gun in the holster on her leg at the sound of leaves crunching nearby. It could be Beth or Sasha, but it was most likely a walker. Moving forward once again, she followed the sounds of the forest until a minute later when she came across a small opening in the trees. There, finally, she saw the source of the crying. It was a little girl crouched down and shivering. She looked up when she saw Maggie approach.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Maggie." She said, walking up to the girl. "Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Where did you come from?"

The young girl pointed out ahead of her, looking back at Maggie. "I was trying to find my way and I got lost."

"Who were you with?"

"No one."

Maggie frowned. "You must have been with someone. A mom or dad? Siblings?"

"I'm alone." She cried. "I don't have anyone."

Maggie instinctively pulled the crying child into her chest as she tried to comfort her. "It's okay. You can come with me. We need to go find my sister and friends. Can you walk?"

"No."

"Why not?"

The little girl pulled away from her, lifting her dress to show Maggie her legs. One of them had been amputated just below the knee. Maggie gasped when she saw it.

"Were you bitten?"

"Yes."

"How did it happen?"

"You know. You were there."

Maggie's vision began to swim as she looked back up at the girl's face. The child was no longer there, she realized, as she took in the sight of her father's face staring back at her. He smiled, brushing her hair back behind her ear. Tears filled her eyes as she leaned down to hug him, but suddenly she felt like something was very wrong. When she pulled away, she noticed a small spot of red blooming just at the collar of his shirt. It continued to grow bigger and bigger until it was seeping into his chest and neck. It suddenly dawned on her what it was.

"No….no…"

The blood gushed from his neck in buckets as she held her hands up to try and stop it. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she looked back at her father, searching for some sign of what to do. Through it all, he still continued to smile back at her.

"Maggie you need to wake up…wake up…"

"NOOOOOOO!"

Maggie's eyes flew open as she felt hands clamp down on her shoulders. Real tears sprung into her eyes as she realized what had happened. It was Beth looking back at her now, dirty and scared but alive and real all the same.

"Maggie…it's okay. You fell asleep."

Her heart rate was elevated and she tried desperately to calm it down. "I was walking in the forest…and I saw a girl…but then she wasn't a girl anymore…"

"Maggie, it was just a dream." Beth said trying to ease her along. "It wasn't real."

"But I saw him Beth…I saw-"

"Maggie! Beth!"

Sasha's voice rang out from a few feet away. They could hear the crunching of leaves as she ran towards them and they both managed to stand up. Suddenly, a light appeared just in front of them and she appeared. It took them a minute to have it register that she was holding a flashlight. That could only mean one thing.

"Is it Daryl? Is he back?"

Even from where she stood, they could see Sasha's face. She was smiling. "It's even better."

Another crunch of leaves was following behind as Maggie pushed herself to look past where Sasha stood. She recognized the sneakers first, followed by the jeans and sweater she had found for him on a run back in the spring. By the time her eyes found his face, she could barely see him through the tears blocking her vision.

"Maggie….oh thank god…"

"Glenn…" Maggie ran the last few steps, launching herself into his arms with every last ounce of energy she had left. "You're here…you're really here…."

"I'm here…" He kissed her head and held her even tighter. "I'm not leaving you again."

**A/N: So that probably wasn't the reunion you were all waiting for, but we are sooooo close now. Don't worry, I'll explain what happened to Daryl in the next chapter too. As for Maggie's dream…well there may be more to that than meets the eye as well *wink wink* **

**For now, I'm off to watch some more of season 3 so I can get the feels ready for the big reunion LLACO!**


	11. Chapter 11

*****NOTE FROM AUTHOR*****

**Hey guys…**

**So today I made a pretty tough decision. I really try not to give up on things in life and when I have to, it's not something I take lightly. After sitting here for three straight days trying to play connect the dots with these characters and their situations and make it all add up to something that people want to read, I just really can't come up with anything believable and it's all kind of going to hell. So, for this reason as well as a few others I won't get into, I have decided to stop working on the story. **

**I really don't know if it's something I'll be coming back to later or not. I guess it will depend on if I am able to work something else out down the line. Right now I just can't make anything come out right in my head and the last thing I want to do is try to turn this into something that makes no sense and sounds like a bunch of crap. I'd rather focus on the things that I do want to write about, so that's what I'm planning on doing. I had announced that I've had a theory for some time now on exactly what did happen with Carol and the killings, and now I am thinking that I may just release that theory in its own short story (and by short I mean like 2 chapters tops) so at least you guys can let me know what you think of my hypothesis. It would be very Caryl-centric which I know you all love and is what I love writing the most.**

**I'm so sorry to all of you who have invested time in reading this because I really feel like I failed you. Making mistakes is a part of life, but it's still hard for me to accept that I messed up and possibly can't fix it. A friend told me today that every author has hits and misses and it's not something they can ever predict, so I shouldn't be so hard on myself…well it's easier said than done but I am trying to keep a positive outlook on all of this and hope that it's a lesson learned if anything. As for the story, I'm going to leave it posted for now in hopes that maybe someday I will be able to possibly finish it…maybe when the show comes back on the air and I have more to go off of for instance…but for right now this is all the effort I'm going to put into it. **

**To all of my wonderful followers…I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Knowing that you guys were reading my stuff was what kept me going all this time and it always makes my day to hear from you. I am working on other things (some TWD related and some not) but I will hopefully be back with more stuff for you soon. **

**Until then…live long and Caryl on guys! Love you! XOXO**

**P.S.- I'm writing this on Norm's b-day and I love him more than words can say so I'm going to make today about him and focus on the rest later **


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